Oregon sophomores Artis, Carter suspended for selling apparel

Oregon sophomores Dominic Artis and Ben Carter will be suspended multiple games -- including Friday's nationally televised season-opener against Georgetown -- for selling team gear in violation of NCAA rules, the school announced late Tuesday.

"Ben and Dominic are two good young men who made a poor decision that was against NCAA rules," said Oregon coach Dana Altman. "I feel that both regret their decisions and the impact that it has on their teammates and our university."

DuckTerritory.com previously reported the suspensions and described Artis and Carter -- as well as three former Oregon players -- as having sold "exclusive basketball shoes." Oregon self-reported the violation to the NCAA, and the players' appeal for reinstatement is still being considered. A source told CBSSports.com that one point of contention is the value of the shoes because "exclusive" Nikes could theoretically be worth quite a bit of money, which could stretch the suspensions beyond what common sense might suggest. Either way, a source said, Oregon is hoping for leniency because the violations were self-reported and not the result of an NCAA investigation.

"They could've just lied and said the shoes were stolen," a source said.

But they didn't.

Perhaps that will work in Oregon's favor.

Artis, a point guard, averaged 24 minutes per game last season.

Carter, a power forward, averaged 10 minutes per game last season.

Oregon is ranked 19th in the preseason AP poll and considered a challenger in the Pac-12.

"I want to apologize to the university, Coach Altman and my teammates for selling apparel," Artis said. "I regret my actions and do not want this situation to define me or my character."

Gary Parrish is a senior college basketball columnist for CBSSports.com and college basketball insider for the CBS Sports Network. The Mississippi native also hosts an award-winning radio show in Memphis. He lives in that area with his wife, two sons and two dogs.